Peruvian fests

The Señor de Los Milagros festival is one of the most important religious dates of Catholicism in Peru. Each year the procession of the Lord of Miracles is extensive and beautiful. People hold the image and walk with it to the long crossroads of the Lima center.

The predominant color of the procession is purple. The procession takes approximately 20 hours to complete. In the center, the image is honored by the president, the major, and the Archbishop of Lima.

The festival

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On the first of May, a festival is held in Arequipa in homage to the Virgin of Chapi. In this religious festivity, the people of Arequipa walk fifteen kilometres to the district of Poblaya, where her temple is located, in faith of the promises they have made to the saint. As they walk, they sing beautiful songs and say prayers to her.

I would love to go to this festival because I am very interested in the culture of Arequipa, as my mother was born there. I have also grown up with great respect for the Virgin of Chapi. Maybe I wouldn't take part in the pilgrimage, but I could attend the church.

I think that this celebration is not for everyone, first of all you have to have religious beliefs and if you want to take part in the pilgrimage you have to be in a good physical condition. I think I would recommend visiting Arequipa during this time but not necessarily taking part in the celebration.

During the month of October, the "Señor de los Milagros" is celebrated on all the Peruvian territory.

The religious celebration consists of a series of processions within the month. The central days are the 18th and the 19th of October.

I wouldn't recommend to go unless you are a true believer, even though you don't go to the real Cristo Moreno's procession, the number of people and disorder is enormous.

One of the festivities that most represents our culture is that of the Lord of Miracles. This festival is celebrated throughout Peru and even in some parts of the world, but the main activity takes place in Lima. I would like to go because many people say that they have a nice experience being close to the image and surrounding themselves with faith and good vibes. And I would recommend it to all Catholic people who want to know and experience more about this activity.

The "Festival de la Virgen de la Candelaria" in Puno is an originally religious festival in honour of the patron of the city, however, its main appeal are the numerous traditional dancing parades and the central dancing contest.

With live bands and vibrant colourful costumes, this festival has positioned itself as one of the largest and most visited of our contry. Like most carnivals, it takes place during february, and lasts for about half a month.

For years I’ve wanted to take part in it, whether it be dancing or as part of the public, sadly I haven’t got the opportunity yet.

Though the popularity of this festival is very high, I wouldn’t recommend for everyone to go. You’ve got to be aware of the negative aspects, such as: cold weather, even when in summer the cold in Puno could turn unbearable for some people; prices, since it’s a very touristic city some of the prices (food, transport, etc.) could be higher specially during february; large crowds on the parade. However, all in all, those downsides pale in comparison with the beauty and excitement of the festival.

It is the main Catholic celebration in Peru and one of the largest processions in the world, and I would really like to go to the festival because of my family's tradition since they were kids went to this also i would really love to recommen teenagers only if they are interested to go and be part pf this big festival with the best intentions.

On May 1, the festivities are celebrated in honor of the Virgen del Chapi in the city of Arequipa, which is considered the patron saint of the city of Arequipa. The Virgen de Chapi is considered the Patroness of Arequipa, guiding the steps each day and every hour of the population of the White City.

Every year in March and for a whole week, the Festival de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Festival) is celebrated in Ica with the objective of giving thanks for a successful grape harvest. The festival starts with the traditional grape stomping and a huge parade through town, and the whole city is full of activities to try! There are wine and pisco making contests and fairs, tastings, lots of dancing in traditional costumes and local music, gastronomic fairs with amazing local dishes, Peruvian Paso horse shows, art and crafts fairs and, of course, the election of the Reina de la Vendimia (Harvest Queen).

I have been able to participate in this festival, mainly by watching the parade, going to the gastronomic fairs and joining the Route of Lagares, where you can see the wine and pisco making process while visiting various wineries of Ica. It’s truly an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone!

The festival of Candelaria is celebrated on February 2 in the city of Puno, it is an activity declared as cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. Hundreds of dancers believing in God dance during these dates to the virgin accompanied by music from the Andes.This beautiful celebration closes a week later with an event called Cacharpari.

Carnival of Cajamarca

This is a four-day carnival, by that fact you can assume that's incredibly awesome each day. There are always big and beautiful parades with street dancers wearing different types of masks and brilliant disguises. That's why I want to go to this festival, everything seems so colorful that I could imagine myself with my family enjoying all of the views. I would strongly recommend this festival to peruvian teenagers because they're going to get a different experience, one they won't forget.

One of the most important festivals is the Virgen de la Candelaria, a religious festival celebrated in Puno where the Virgin is venerated in the church of San Juan. In which the most important day is the 2nd of February, as it is on this day that the Virgen de la Candelaria leaves the temple and walks through the streets of the city.

I would like to go for the meaning of it, for its dances (the costumes, their origin, etc.) and for its religious and cultural expression. And yes, I would recommend it to other teen since it shows our different cultures within the country as well as its beauty and our multicultural history.

Sofia Guerra

One of the most representative festivals in the province of Oyón is The Mercedes Virgin festival. People of the different towns of Oyón, Churín, La chimba and others honor the Virgin having these days of parades and celebrations. Their traditions goes from having a massive lunch with a "stone soup" to have at least 3 bands playing at the same time all day long.

I would highly recommend it to everyone who would like to know a bit more about the culture of the region and have a pleasant moment in good company.

Teacher Kate